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Exercises/Constructive Conflict & Tension Surfacing
Themes

Exercises for Constructive Conflict & Tension Surfacing

These exercises put a real, live disagreement on the table deliberately, using structure such as polarity mapping, debate formats, or restorative circles so conflict stays productive instead of personal. Use them only when the session's explicit job is working through disagreement, not for general sharing, creativity, or reflection exercises.

Explore exercises grouped by theme. Read each run sheet to check the task, group size and setting before choosing.

82 exercises

Challenge Axis

General Collaboration Exercise · 5 to 15 minutes

Mindfulness Jar

Team Reflection · 15 to 30 minutes

Polarity Mapping

Relationship Mapping · 60+ minutes

Problem Chain

Relationship Mapping · 60+ minutes

Stones Debrief

Relationship Mapping · 15 to 30 minutes

Making Conflict Useful

General Collaboration Exercise · 60+ minutes

Negotiation Gesture Consensus

Team Reflection · 15 to 30 minutes

15% Solutions

Prompted Conversation · 15 to 30 minutes

Finding Collaboration Ideas

Relationship Mapping · 15 to 30 minutes

This Will Kill You!

Relationship Mapping · 30 to 60 minutes

Network Patches

Applied Improv · 15 to 30 minutes

Mix and Mingle

Team Reflection · 5 to 15 minutes

Anticipating Conflict and Forming Group Guidelines

Team Reflection · 30 to 60 minutes

Mimeograph

Team Reflection · 15 to 30 minutes

Create-A-Video

General Collaboration Exercise · 60+ minutes

Friend or Foe?

Ideation Warm-Up · 30 to 60 minutes

Switch

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Affirming Thoughts

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Spaghetti Junction

Team Reflection · 5 to 15 minutes

Pass It On!

Relationship Mapping · 30 to 60 minutes

Bohm Dialogue

Circle Dialogue · 60+ minutes

Action Replay

Relationship Mapping · 15 to 30 minutes

Yes, But...

Ideation Warm-Up · 30 to 60 minutes

Create Your Own Collaboration Environment

Visual Thinking · 15 to 30 minutes

Draw a Cup

Team Reflection · 5 to 15 minutes

Wellbeing North Star

Relationship Mapping · 30 to 60 minutes

Intro Quiz

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

European Neighbors

Prompted Conversation · 15 to 30 minutes

Criss Cross

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

True or False

Team Reflection · 15 to 30 minutes

Values Stock Market

Team Reflection · 5 to 15 minutes

Light, Medium, or Heavy

Relationship Mapping · 15 to 30 minutes

Vortex

Team Reflection · 5 to 15 minutes

Forced Analogy

Ideation Warm-Up · 15 to 30 minutes

The Other Side

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Bent Elbows for Audience Response

Team Reflection · 5 to 15 minutes

Debriefing by Numbers: Paired Roles

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Review Roulette

Relationship Mapping · 30 to 60 minutes

Managing Frequent Disagreements

Prompted Conversation · 30 to 60 minutes

Critical Feeling in Discussions

Prompted Conversation · 30 to 60 minutes

Managing Frustration and Stress in Remote Teams

Prompted Conversation · 30 to 60 minutes

What Are You Doing?

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Over There

Applied Improv · 5 to 15 minutes

Shelling Corn

Relationship Mapping · 15 to 30 minutes

Embracing Contradictions

Workspace Ritual · 30 to 60 minutes

Cross the Line

Team Reflection · 5 to 15 minutes

Survivor: The Downsizing Simulation

Relationship Mapping · 30 to 60 minutes

Overhand Knot

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Identities and Issues Intersections

Team Reflection · 30 to 60 minutes

Challenger Selling Model

Circle Dialogue · 30 to 60 minutes

Three-Lines Basketball

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

GUT TALK

Relationship Mapping · 30 to 60 minutes

Developing Comfort with Ambiguity

Ethical Dilemma · 30 to 60 minutes

Blame Culture Workshop

Relationship Mapping · 30 to 60 minutes

Tension Traverse

Team Reflection · 15 to 30 minutes

Multi-Polling Interactive Lecture

Team Reflection · 5 to 15 minutes

Cross-Team Connections

General Collaboration Exercise · 5 to 15 minutes

Attraction Over Argument

General Collaboration Exercise · 5 to 15 minutes

Restorative Circles

Circle Dialogue · 60+ minutes

Improvement Dialogues

Applied Improv · 5 to 15 minutes

Taking Inventory of Collaborative Discussion Skills

Team Reflection · 30 to 60 minutes

Managing Frequent Disagreements in Remote Teams

Prompted Conversation · 30 to 60 minutes

Conversation Activity

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Decode

Relationship Mapping · 15 to 30 minutes

Shake It Out

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Vertigo

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Invocation Exercise

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Duct Tape Game

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Assassin / Spy

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Intergenerational Dialogue

Relationship Mapping · 60+ minutes

Classroom Restaurant

Relationship Mapping · 15 to 30 minutes

Socratic Debate

Team Reflection · 30 to 60 minutes

Argument Map

Relationship Mapping · 30 to 60 minutes

Rose, Bud, Thorn

Team Reflection · 5 to 15 minutes

Shoe Tie

Prompted Conversation · 5 to 15 minutes

Both Sides

Team Reflection · 15 to 30 minutes

Loser Ball

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Zero 1, 2, 3

General Collaboration Exercise · 5 to 15 minutes

Animal Fight

Team Reflection · 5 to 15 minutes

Create Obstacles

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

Four Square Switch

General Collaboration Exercise · 5 to 15 minutes

Blank Slate Four Square

Relationship Mapping · 5 to 15 minutes

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